Amelia Walker discovers the plush seclusion of Dewsall Court, the definitive country house for your corporate group experience.
It’s difficult to imagine a place more worthy of an Instagram post than Dewsall Court. Nestled among 1000 acres of lush Herefordshire countryside, it champions all that is great and good about bucolic England. It has glorious gardens, views of swirling blooms and fields of yellow, wide sky as far as the eye can see, and a handsome, creeper-coated 17th-century sandstone house to sleep in.
The house is at your disposal for your company’s own private country retreat and can be set up exclusively for your individual requirements, whether for conferences, meetings, or launches. I’m not at all surprised to hear that Dewsall is hugely popular for weddings too.
It has 10 soothing double bedrooms of pared-back country chic, with soft olives, ivories and dove greys, all en suite, painted in sea greens and blues, some with views of the Black Mountains. My dreamy four-poster bed, with its white linen drapes and dusky blue quilts, beckons like a floating cloud.
There are original, caramel wooden beams throughout the house, taxidermy, and the heart of the home is a toss-up between the roomy kitchen, which boasts an impressive Aga, and the main lounge with its huge original fireplace and distressed sofas. There’s a fabulous billiards room, ideal for a late-night cigars and whisky. Meanwhile, the sunny conservatory with a ridiculously long table can accommodate a full house of 20, and makes for a delightful setting to take breakfast.
They’ve just built a new main events space for corporate events too. Following a four-month renovation project, Dewsall’s Wainhouse Barn has recently been transformed into an elegant and versatile venue in the grounds of the house.
To mark the launch, I was invited to join the owners for an exclusive launch party, which provided me with the perfect opportunity to be one of the first to view the new facilities. And what a night it was.
The crown fire pit, wrought iron candle chandeliers and fairy lights were impressive feature points. Dinner showcased local ingredients, champagne and some of the most ridiculously potent cocktails I’ve ever tasted. And the long communal benches and tables ensure conversation hits you from all sides. I was never chatting with the same person for long, as the informal, carefree setting encouraged mingling.
If you’re searching for an authentic country house that’s both wholesome yet cool, with a relaxed, help-yourself houseguest aura, this is it. “Dewsall is both elegant and somewhat out of the box!” says Samatha Vaugh, Marketing Director and part owner. “The launch evening has been referred to as ‘beautiful and bonkers…just how I like it’ by one of our guests”. I couldn’t have described it better myself, after spending three hours non-stop on the dance floor dancing and singing along at the top of my voice to the evening’s entertainment – a local band who opted for fail safe classics of Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson and The Killers.
If you’re trying to get away from it all, Dewsall is somewhere to actually get excited about when it comes to a chilled-out weekend in the sticks. This is the kind of place you’d want to curl up in front of the toasty fire and sink into the weekend papers after a long country walk in the Winter months, or polish of bottles off local fizz in the gardens in the summer.
Come for a party, for a taste of tapped-in country living, for a team-building expedition. It’s all terrifically English. Call it a cosy, fun-packed bolthole, and bolt here you must.
Exclusive use of the Dewsall Court estate, gardens and grounds starts at £3950 for a weekend (this includes a two-night stay in the house for up to 24 guests). The closest train station is Hereford, which can be reached directly from London Paddington, and is a 20-minute taxi drive from the house. dewsall.com
